Iran war: Congress slams Jaishankar's 'vapid' statement in Parliament

The Congress has slammed "vapid" External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar's statement on the West Asia situation in Parliament and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy "(mis)adventurism" coupled with the government's undermining of the Indian Foreign Service, is pushing India into "vassalage".

In a statement on Monday (March 9), the Congress' foreign affairs department, headed by former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, said the EAM's statement "inexplicably" made no protest against the sinking of IRIS Dena in India's strategic backyard, which compromises India's role as a net-security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.

Also read: Protests in Parliament over Iran war

Jaishankar's statement neither condemned the targeted killing of the head of state of a sovereign nation nor did it offer solutions to redress the serious geo-economic and geopolitical costs that India is having to bear, and escalations that it may have to face, the party said in the statement.

'Grave concern'

"The Indian National Congress (INC) expresses grave concern at the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar's vapid parliamentary statement on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party government on 9 March 2026," it said.

"The EAM's statement also offered no solutions on how India will diversify our energy security needs or reassert our energy sovereignty, which is being dictated by foreign powers (who are deigning to 'allow' a 30-day OFAC waiver)," the AICC foreign affairs department said.

The EAM's statement also skirted around the issue of how "Prime Minister Modi's ill-advised endorsement" of the war through his recent trip has not only contributed to the perception that India is abdicating moral leadership of the Global South, ironically in a year when we chair the BRICS, but is directly complicit in the dismantling of the rules-based global order, it said.

"The EAM's statement was sadly bereft of any laser-eyed insights into the paradigm global shift underway, or a structured vision for India to better navigate global disruptions, and any resolve to effectively defend India's values and interests in an increasingly unstable global order," it added.

Call for dialogue

"Prime Minister Modi's foreign policy (mis)adventurism coupled with the BJP government's undermining of the Indian Foreign Service are regrettably pushing India into vassalage, circumscribing the bipartisan strategic and diplomatic achievements since independence," the statement said.

India on Monday advocated de-escalation of tensions in West Asia and called for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve all underlying issues, as it put the safety of around one crore Indians in the region as its top priority, along with securing energy security and trade.

The US and Israel launched a major military attack on Iran on February 28, killing its 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The war has so far killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, 397 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to officials.

Making a suo motu statement in Parliament, Jaishankar said New Delhi stood for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region. He defended allowing the Iranian ship to dock at an Indian port as the right decision taken on humanitarian grounds.

He said the Indian government has been constantly monitoring the evolving situation in the region at the highest level and has already brought back 67,000 stranded Indians from the conflict zone.

Jaishankar said the safety of Indian nationals and national interests, such as energy security and trade, remain the topmost priority for the government.

"India is in favour of peace and urges a return to dialogue and diplomacy. We advocate de-escalation, restraint, and ensuring the safety of civilians," he said in identical statements in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

"The well-being and security of the Indian community in the region is our priority. And our national interests, including energy security and trade, will always be paramount," he said.